A special event featuring Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator and former Turkish Minister of Finance

Presented in cooperation with the SIPA Turkish Initiative and the International Economic Policy Concentration

Commentary by Lisa Anderson, Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, and Akbar Noman, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of International and Public Affairs

Kemal Dervis started as the new head of the United Nations Development Program on August 15, 2005. He is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, program and departments working on development issues.

Prior to his appointment with UNDP, Mr. Dervis was a member of the Turkish Parliament representing Istanbul (Nov 2002-June 2005) and was Minister for Economic Affairs and the Treasury (Mar 2001-Aug 2002) responsible for Turkey's recovery program after the devastating financial crisis that hit the country in February 2001.

He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics from the London School of Economics and his Ph.D from Princeton University. From 1973 to 1977 he was a member of the economics faculties of the Middle East Technical University and then Princeton University. In 1977 he joined the World Bank, where he worked until he returned to Turkey in 2001.

The UNDP Administrator is the third highest ranking official in the United Nations System after the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General. He is appointed by the Secretary-General and confirmed by the General Assembly for a term of four years.